Mill roll



y 1955 A. L. NICOLAI 2,712,924

MILL ROLL Filed Oct. 1, 1953 Zf z ,1

Z3 4 5 E9: 4 J7 INVENTOR. 4/?009 A ./V/50z4/ ATTORNEY United States Patent "Oh I 2,712,924 Patented July 12, 1955 ice MILL ROLL Arduo L. Nicoiai, North Tarrytown, N. Y., assignor to United States Rubber Company, New York, N. Y., a Corporation of New Jersey Application October 1, 1953, Serial No. 383,621 6 Claims. (Cl. 25795) This invention relates to mill rolls of the type used in the rubber industry for milling rubber and other similar materials, and more particularly it relates to such a roll which is provided with means for circulating cooling or heating fluid therein to control the surface temperature or the rolls.

Mill rolls are widely used in the rubber industry to mill rubber and similar materials, and since these materials should be milled at controlled temperatures, the rolls are generally provided with means for circulating water through the roll to control the surface temperature of the roll hence the temperature at which the material is milled. One type of mill roll commonly employed in the rubber industry consists of a cylindrical roll body having a central hole extending therethrough along its axis. Near its peripheral surface, the roll has a plurality of longtiudinal bores extending axially therethrough spaced about the periphery of the roll which are adapted for circulation of water therethrough. Each end of each of these bores is connected to the central opening by means of a transverse bore extending through the roll from the individual longitudinal bore to the central opening in the roll. 'Ihese rolls are cooled by circulating water through the central opening to the tr nsverse bores in one end of the roll, thence through these transverse bores to the longitudinal bores, through which the water is circulated from one end of the roll to the other simultaneously in all of the bores to be then conducted'through the transverse bores at that end of? the roll to be discharged from the central opening.

The cooling provided in rolls of this type is not as efiicient as it might be because the movementof the cooling fluid through the peripheral bores may be sluggish; some of these peripheral bores may pass but little fluid with the result that great quantities of cooling fluid may be used without reducing the effective temperature of the roll in some areas very greatly. the cooling fluid to cool the rolls is not used to greatest effect in a roll of this sort, so great quantities of cooling fluid are required to provide adequate cooling of the rolls. Although this system is not completely satisfactory, it is generally used because rolls of this type may be constructed with relative ease, and these rolls are sturdy and rugged, which are important factors in mill rolls because of the very great forces exerted on the rolls when they are used to mill rubber.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved mill roll or this type wherein the fluid is positively circulated through all the longitudinal bores in a manner which provides eflicient use of the cooling properties of the fluid. This object is achieved by providing a roll of this type with bafiies to be disposed in the central opening of the roll which are adapted to direct the fluid through the peripheral bores sequentially, so the fluid passes through selected ones of the peripheral bores first to one end of the roll, and then back through others of the peripheral bores to the opposite end of the roll. in this manner, the water is passed back and forth along the periphery of the roll through the bores sequentially to insure good flow control Furthermore, the ability of of the fluid and good heat transfer to this cooling medium.

A further object of this invention is to provide baifies which may be inserted readily in existing mill rolls of this type to provide this improved cooling system for the roll.

This invention contemplates specifically a pair of baflies which are designed to be inserted in the central opening through a mill roll of the type described. A first of these baflies comprises a pair of plates which are disposed on opposite sides of the openings of the transverse bores into the central passage. These plates are adapted to seal off the central passage from communication with the transverse bores excepting from the portion of the central ,passage between these plates. A tube extends through each of these plates in a manner such that the two plates and the tube resemble a spool. Because of this construction, fluid can be passed into one portion of the central passage and through this tube axially of the central passage to another portion of the central passage beyond the first group of transverse bores without entering these bores. A second baflle for the transverse bores at the other end of the roll is constructed in a somewhat similar manner in that two end plates which are adapted to seal ofi the central opening are provided and the these end plates are connected by a central pipe. However, in this bafiie one end of the central pipe is sealed 01f by the end plate, and a segment is cut from the periphery of the central pipe so that fluid may be circulated from the central passage axially through the end plate .having an opening therein and thence outwardly radially of the roll to some of the transverse bores. This second bathe has radial fins disposed above the central pipe which extend to the periphery of the central opening and which are adapted to-divide the space between the end plates into several compartments radially outwardly of the central pipe. in this manner, fluid may be circulated axially through the open end of this bafile and thence radially outwardly into one of the chambers to be transmitted to a first group of the transverse bores at this end of the mill roll. From this selected group of transverse bores, the cooling fluid is circulated to only those longitudinal bores connected to these selected transverse bores and thence to the other end of the mill roll. The badle at the first end of the mill roll :has similar fins which are similarly adapted to provide a plurality of chambers between the end plates of the baflles and radially outwardly of the central pipe therein. The coolingfluid circulates from this first group of peripheral bores through the transverse passages at the latter end of the mill roll and into one of these chambers, from whence it circulates into a second group of peripheral bores to be directed back along the surface of the mill roll. After the cooling fluid has been circulated through the peripheral bores, it is discharged into one of the compartments formed by the second baflie. The second baflie has the closed end plate cut out in this segment of the baffle so that the cooling fluid may be discharged again into the central passage to be conducted away from the mill roll.

in this manner, by combining bafiles of the type described with a mill roll of this type in accordance with this invention, the cooling fluid can be made to circulate through the peripheral bores in the mill roll sequentially to provide greatly improved cooling of the mill roll.

For a better understanding of the nature of this invention, reference should be had to the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a pair of mill rolls showing one roll partially in section to illustrate the positioning of bafiles therein in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the bathe disposed at what may be for convenience of description termed the entrance end of the mill roll;

a of the longitudinal bores such as 7 baffle.

Referring'now to the drawings, there is shown in Fig. l a pair of mill'rolls 19, 11 such as those commonly used in the rubber industry. These rolls are large cylindrical members each having the body portion 12 and together forming the usual nip 13 Where the rubber or other ma terial is milled. As shown, these rolls are generally pro- 'vided with a cylindrical central passage 14 extending axially of the roll from one'end thereof to the other. Near their periphery these rolls are provided with a multiplicity of longitudinal bores two of which are shown at 15 and 16 which extend axially of the roll from one end thereof to the other. These bores are designed to circulate a cooling or heating fluid beneath the peripheral surface of the roll to control the surface temperature thereof so that the temperature at which the material is milled may be controlled. These bores are closed at each end with plugs 17 which may be removed for cleaning of .the-

bores.

7 There is provided through the body 12 of the roll a multiplicity of transverse bores 18 which communicate between the central passage ripheral bores. One of these transverse bores is provided at each end of the mill roll for each of the peripheral bores so that cooling fluid may be circulated from the central opening 14'to the peripheral bores. Thus refer- "ring to the structure shown in the drawings, fiuid may be circulated throughthe transverse-bore 18 at the discharge end of the mill roll to the longitudinal bore 15, and thence through this bore in the direction indicated by In accordance with this invention a pair of baffles are provided for a mill roll such as that heretofore described so that the fiuid may be circulated sequentially through the longitudinal bores thereof. In the drawings, there is shown a pair of baflles a first of which 22, being here designated the entrance baflle for convenience of description, is disposed at one end of the mill roll 10. This baffle comprises an outer end plate 23 and an inner end plate 24. There is disposed between these end plates a tube 25 hich extends through openings such as those shown at 26 and 27 in the end plates 23 and 24 respectively. There is thus provided a spool-like bafiie having a central passage extending therethrough so that fluid may be passed fromone side of the baffle to the other central passage 14 through the ments shown in the drawings,

. the periphery of the end plates 23,

' will seal oh the passage 14 to form 14 and the longitudinal pewithout entering the space between the end plates 23 and 24. As best shown in Fig. l, the end plates 23, 24 have such a diameter that they completely close off the mill roll. in the embodithe bafile 22 is provided with a pair of radially extending fins 28 and 29 which are fixed to the tube 25 and the end plates 23, 24. As best shown in Figs. 4 and 5, these fins, 23, 29 extend to 24 so that the fins two compartments between the end plates 23 and 24, one of which would be above the fins 28, 29 and tube 25 and the other of which is beneath these members when the baflie is disposed as shown in the drawings. I

A second batlle 30 which for convenience of description is termed the discharge baffle is provided for the other end of the mill roll. This baffle similarly hasend plates 31,32 and a central tube 33 extending between them.

However, it will be noted that the tube 33 extends through the inner end plate 31, but is closed by the outer end plate 32 as shown in Figs. 4 and 6. Furthermore, is not a closed cylindrical tube but has a portion of its periphery removed. Thus in the embodiments shown in the arrow to the inlet end of the mill roll and thence through the transverse bore 19 to the central passage 14. Similarly fluid may be circulated from the central passage 14 through the transverse bore 20 to the longitudinal bore 16. The fluid is then circulated longitudinally of'the roll through this bore 16 as indicated by the arrow to the transverse bore 21 through which it may be discharged into the central passage 14. Thus it will be seen that each those shown at 15 and 16 has a pair of transverse bores communicating therewith and through which cooling fluid must pass to circulate through the longitudinal bores.

The heretofore described features of the mill rolls have U been generally adopted in the rubber industry because of the strength requirements in these mill rolls and because of the ease with which these cooling channels may be formed. Heretofore these mill rolls have been cooled by circulating water into the central passage 14 at one end ofrthe roll, thence through all of the transverse bores such as-those shown'at 19 and 21 at that end of the mill roll 7 simultaneously to all of the longitudinal bores such as those shown at'15 and 16. The fluid is then' circulated through these longitudinal bores to the other end of the .mill roll from whence it circulates through the transverse bores such as those shown at 18 and'20 at that end of the mill roll to be discharged into the central passage 14 from which it is discharged from the mill roll. As pointed out above, this use of the circulating heat transfer fluid is not efficient because it is diflicult to control the circulation through all of the bores simultaneously and because the circulating fluid has a relatively short pass near the periphery of the roll so that its full capacity to absorb or give up heat is not utilized. Great quantities of fluid must therefore be used, and. even then the cooling cannot be controlled efiiciently because flow through any one of the bores may be sluggish so that the circulating fluidhas little effect upon the surface temperature of the'roll at that point. t

' are disposed at the edges the drawings, the tube 33 has a quarter of 'its periphery removed as indicated at 34 in Figs. 4 and 6.

Fins are fixed to this tube 33 which extend between the end plates 31 and 32 longitudinally of the tube and which extend radially of the tube to the periphery of the plates 31,32. These plates 31, 32 are of such a diameter thatthey close the central opening 14 through the mill roll 10, hence a plurality of compartments are provided by the fins on this baflie. in the embodiments shown, two fins 35, 36 are provided at the edges of the open area 34 in the tube it will be noted that'the outerlend plate 32 has a segment cut therefrom. in the embodiments shown in the drawings, this is a quarter segment in the area 37. The bafiie '30 is provided with a pair of fins 36, 38 which of this cut-out segment.

in using this invention, the bafiie 22 is fixed in the central passage 14 of a mill roll so that the plates 23, 24 thereof are disposed on opposite sides of the transverse bores such as those shownat 19 and 21 at that end of the mill roll. These bores are therefore isolated from free communication with passage 14. The baffie 30 is similarly disposed atthe other end of the mill roll so that. the plates 31, 32 are on'opposite sides of the transverse bores such as those shown at 18'and 20 to close off these bores from free communication with most of the length of the central passage 14. In the embodiments shown, the baflie 22 is disposedin this central passage so that the fins 28, 29 are disposed in a horizontal position, and the baflie 30 is fixed in the central passage 14 so that the fins 35, 38 are disposed in a vertical position and the fin 36 is disposed in a horizontal position, as indicated in Fig. 4.

With the baffles thus disposed, fluid maybe introduced into one end of the mill roll,'such as that end havthe Open ng 26 in endplate 23, through the tube 33 33. Referring next to Fig. 6,

most of the length of the central and then through the opening 27 in'the end plate 24 to be discharged into the central passage 14 inwardly of the balfle 22. From this central passage 14 the fluid will then pass through the opening in the end plate 31 of the baflle 30 to enter the tube 33. Since the other end of this tube is closed by the end plate 32, the fluidwill escape from the tube through the opening 34 therein into the chamber formed by the walls of the central passage 14, the fins 35, 36 and the end plates 31, 32. From this chamber the fluid will circulate to transverse bores, such as that shown at 18 to enter selected ones of the longitudinal bores such as that shown at 15'. The fluid will circulate through these selected longitudinal bores to the other end of the roll where it will enter the corresponding shown at 19 to be discharged into a chamber formed by the walls of the central passage 14, the fins 28, 29, the tube 25 and the end plates 23, 24 of baflle 22. From this chamber the fluid will escape to selected other transverse bores such as that shown at 39 to enter further selected longitudinal bores such as that shown at 40 through which it will be recirculated to the other end of the mill roll. At this end of the mill roll, it will pass from the longitudinal bores such as that shown at 46 to further transverse bores such as that shown at 41 to enter a chamber formed by the walls of the central passage 14, the tube 33, fins 35 and 38 and the end plates 31, 42. From this chamber it will enter other of the transverse bores such as that shown at 20' to circulate through further longitudinal bores such as that shown at 16 to the other end of the mill roll. At this end of the mill roll it Will enter further transverse bores such as that shown at 21' to circulate to a further chamber formed by the walls of the central opening 14, the has 28, 29, the tube 25 and the end plates 23, 24 of the baifle 22. From this chamber, it will enter other transverse bores 42 to circulate to other longitudinal bores 43 and thence through transverse bores 44 to a chamber formed by the fins 3d, 38, the tube 33 and the end plate 31 of the batfle 3%). From this chamber, it will escape through the cut out portion indicated at 37 in the end plate 32 of this baflle to re-enter the central passage 14 outwardly of the baflle 30. From this central passage it may be circulated to the other mill roll it as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1 to cool this mill roll in a similar manner.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that by utilizing this invention fluid may be made to circulate through existing mill rolls so that the fluid flows through the cooling bores sequentially to cool the entire surface of the roll. It will be apparent further that this cooling fluid will be disposed adjacent the surface of the mill roll for a much longer period of time so that its full heat transfer properties may be utilized. Consequently the quantities of fluid may be reduced substantially from that heretofore used in such mill rolls. Furthermore, the cooling fluid is circulated through only a few longitudinal bores at a time, and therefore the circulation of this fluid may be controlled so that it is less likely to pass sluggishly through some of the longitudinal bores while passing rapidly through others.

Although a specific embodiment of this invention has been described, it will be apparent that the invention may be embodied in forms which differ from that described.

Having thus described my invention, desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

l. A mill roll comprising in combination a roll having a central opening therethrough, longitudinal bores therethrough near its periphery and transverse bores at each end of said roll connecting said with said longitudinal bores, baflies inserted in said central opening at each end of said central opening about the inner ends of said transverse bores, said baffles being constructed and arranged to pass fluid from said central opening through said longitudinal bores sequentially and what I claim and central opening selected ones of the transverse bores such as those bores for conducting 6 thereafter to pass the fluid into the discharge end of said central opening.

2. A mill roll comprising in combination a roll having a central opening therethrough, longitudinal bores therethrough near its periphery and transverse bores at each end of said roll connecting said central opening with said longitudinal bores, baflles inserted in said central opening at each end of said central opening about the inner ends of said transverse bores, the baflle at one end of said mill roll being constructed and arranged to seal 01f all of the transverse bores at that end of the roll from said central opening, the batfle at the other end of said central opening being constructed and arranged to seal ofi some of the transverse bores at that end of the roll from the inlet side of said central opening and to seal off some of the transverse bores at that end of the roll from the discharge side of said central opening, said balfles being constructed and arranged to pass fluid from said central opening through said longitudinal bores sequentially and thereafter to pass the fluid into the discharge end of said central opening.

3. A mill roll comprising in combination a mill roll having a central opening extending therethrough and a plurality of longitudinal bores adjacent the periphery thereof, said mill roll having transverse bores connecting said longitudinal bores to the central opening at each end of the mill roll, a balfle at each end of the mill roll in said central opening, each of said baflles being adapted to close ofl said transverse bores from said central opening, the baflle at one end of the mill roll having an opening therethrough to by-pass fluid through said central opening past said transverse bores, the baffle at the other end of said mill roll having an opening communicating with said central opening inwardly of said transverse bores, whereby fluid admitted to said central opening will be circulated through said longitudinal bores sequentially.

4. Bafies for directing fluid through a mill roll having a central opening, a plurality of longitudinal bores near its periphery and transverse bores connecting said longitudinal bores to said central opening, said baflles comprising a first member for one end or" the roll having ends adapted to seal oif said central opening on each side of the transverse bores at that end of the roll, a tube forming a by-pass through said ends for fluid in said central opening, fins on said tube sealing off in substantially fluid tight relationship some of said transverse bores from others of said transverse bores, a second member for verse bores at that end of the roll, fins between said ends sealing oil in substantially fluid tight relationship some of said transverse bores from others of said transverse bores and forming chambers between said ends, said member having an opening through its inner end communicating with one of the chambers formed by said fins, said member having an said central opening and arranged to pass fluid through said longitudinal bores sequentially.

5. In a mill roll having a central opening therethrough, longitudinal bores about its periphery and transverse bores connecting said longitudinal bores to said central opening for circulating a fluid through said longitudinal bores, baflies for diverting fluid to circulate it through said bores sequentially, said bafiles comprising a first baffle having end plates adapted to seal said central opening, each of said end plates having an opening therethrough, a tube connecting said openings for fluid movement therethrough, a plurality of fins between said end plates on said tube extending to the wall of said central opening, said fins being spaced peripherally to provide chambers for intercommunication of some of said transverse bores and to seal ofi these bores from others of said transverse bores, a second baffie having end plates, one of said end plates being adapted to seal ofi said central opening at the inner end of said second baffle, fins between the end plates of said second battle extending to the wall of said central opening, said fins being spaced peripherally to provide chambers for intercommunication of some of said transverse bores and to seal ofl these bores from others of said transverse bores, an end plate of said second'bafile having an opening therethrough communicating with one of said chambers, the other end of said second baflle having an opening therein communicating with another of said chambers, said baffies being adapted to be disposed in said central opening to divert fluid through said longitudinal bores sequentially.

6. A mill roll comprising in combination a mill roll 7 having a central opening extending therethrough and a plurality of longitudinal bores adjacent the periphery thereof, said mill roll having transverse bores connecting said longitudinal bores to the central opening at each end of the mill roll, a first baffle having end plates sealing off said central opening on each side of said transverse bores atone end of thetroll, each of said end plates having an opening therethrough, a tube connecting said openings in the end plates for fluid movement therethrough, a plurality of fins between said end plates on said tube extending to the wall of said central opening, said fins being spaced peripherally of the baffle to provide chamhers for intercommunication of some of said transverse bores and to seal off these bores from others of said transverse bores, a second baflie having end plates, a first of said end plates being adapted to seal off said central opening from said transverse bores at the other end of; the roll inwardly of said transverse bores and a second of said end plates being adapted to partially seal off, said said transverse bores outwardly or said transverse bores, fins between the end plates of said second bafiie extending to the wall of said central opening, said fins being spaced peripherally of the baffle to provide chambers for inter-communication of some of said'transverse bores and to seal ofi these bores from others of said transverse bores, the innertend plate central opening from of said second bafiie having an opening therein communi:

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,781,378 Feeney Nov. 11, 1930 FOREIGN PATENTS France Jan. 6, 1930 

